Grant received for Curtice-Williston sewer project

Published by news@presspubli... on Fri, 09/27/2024 - 4:00pm

By:

Larry Limpf

A proposed sanitary sewer improvement project that will straddle parts of Lucas and Ottawa counties in the Curtice-Williston area received a boost recently with the announcement of a $2.5 million federal grant to help cover planning costs.
The counties are working on an intergovernmental agreement to officially determine proportional costs for each county.
“This will ultimately be based on the scope of the project, which will be determined after the general plan is completed and approved by both counties,” Kelly Frey, Ottawa County sanitary engineer, said.
In addition to covering the cost of developing the plan, the grant will also be used to cover expenses already incurred by the health departments in both counties which conducted surveys of septic systems and package plants in use at residences in the area.
Sampling of water from Cedar and Crane creeks has also been conducted.
Planners have focused on areas where sanitary sewers are needed to replace aging septic systems.
Lucas County is the grant applicant and contracting authority for the project,
“This is part of a larger initiative to address unsanitary conditions in Curtice and Williston, prevent untreated sewer discharges, and project the health of Lake Erie,” Lucas County commissioner Pete Gerken said. “The general plan update and design work will enable us to be shovel-ready for future phases that will improve water quality of Crane Creek and Cedar Creek, both of which directly feed Lake Erie’s western basin.”
Dave Bench, a Jerusalem Township trustee, said the township has been working with sanitary engineers and commissioners from both counties for years on getting sewers into the area.
“The E. Coli level is very high in Cedar Creek,” he said. “The grant gets us to shovel.”
He credited Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur for securing the funding.
“There is no way we could do it. The cost would be too high and the homeowners couldn’t afford it. We have to do something,” Bench said.